Hurry up! You can do it! You’re almost there!

Happy New Year! It has been a while since I have posted a blog entry. My first post for the year is from a guest contributor, my sister:

My sister is a runner. She likes to run races around the world to achieve two goals – to improve her time and to visit different countries/sites. With everyone’s busy schedule, my sister can normally rally one to two people to attend a race with her, but The Angkor Wat Half Marathon was a destination that intrigued a few of our friends from Taipei and Hong Kong, making us an intimate group of six. We booked our flights and accommodations early in the year since races like these tend to fill up rather quickly.

Siem Reap, Cambodia is famously known for its ancient ruins, temples, and luscious landscapes. The Angkor Wat Half Marathon is a charity marathon for landmine survivors in the country. I am not a big fan of running but the race around Angkor Wat was absolutely breathtaking and well worth the trip!!

The Karavansara Retreat and Residences, a boutique hotel with an intimate lobby/café/lounge housed in a traditional wooden Khmer house. Since there were six of us, we booked the lofted 3-bedroom apartment. Our unit came with a spacious living/dining room, a small kitchen, and laundry facilities on the balcony – perfect after a sweaty run!

At the end of every trip, we normally reflect upon what we have learned about the country and rave about the amazing sites visited. A week has passed, and while we reminisce about the wonderful experience we had, we are still experiencing some physical mishaps that occurred while in Cambodia. After the race, some of us experienced severe dysentery and some of us ended up with a sprained ankle. In each of the cases, we were well taken cared of by the local private doctor.

Several IV drips in the hotel room allowed Eric to have a proper dinner in the evening!